Combination tackle box and folding seat



Nov. 8, 1966 E. E. CLINE COMBINATION TACKLE BOX AND FOLDING SEAT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 10, 1965 E/vane E. Cline INVENTOR.

E. E. CLINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 E lvane E. Cline 1N VENTOR. a016 Nov. 8, 1966 COMBINATION TACKLE BOX AND FOLDING SEAT Filed May 10, 1965 Fig 6 United States Patent Office 3,284,150 Patented Nov. 8, 1966 3,284,150 COMBINATION TACKLE BOX AND FOLDING SEAT Elvane E. Cline, 1865 E. 76th St., Kansas City, Mo. Filed May Ill, N65, Ser. No. 454,294 Claims. (Cl. 312235) The present invention relates to a fishermans tackle box which is unique in that in addition to providing facilities for storing and carrying tools and tackle also embodies a seat, more particularly, a seat which constitutes a component part of the overall box.

Briefly, the invention which will be hereinafter more fully disclosed is characterized by a hollow base section having one side, the top, for example, open. The hollow portion of this base section constitutes and provides a container which is preferably interiorly provided with a plurality of article containing trays. Readily openable and closable means is provided for the open top and is operatively joined to and cooperatively associated with and normally closes the aforementioned open top. This means is characterized by at least one component part which when in a predetermined position and relationship provides a practical and comfortable seat which is placed at the disposal of the user whenever necessary or desired.

More specifically, the invention features a hollow portable base section having a bottom wall, and walls and at least one side wall and providing an open top. This base section is hollow and the hollow portion provides not only a container but a space for a plurality of article containing trays. Novelty is predicated on a base section which is preferably generally triangulate in form and which serves to accommodate a correspondingly triangulate cover section. The cover section is hinge-dly joined to the base sect-ion and it in turn constitutes and provides an enclosure for two component parts, that is, a panel which is usable as a seat, said panel being hingedly mounted and foldab-le to an out-of-theway position when not in use and serving to accommodate a hingedly mounted leg frame or prop, said prop being also hingedly mounted and carried by the cover section and cooperable as a support for the seat when the latter is brought into its usable position.

A further improvement resides in a novel box characterized by hingedly connected hollow triangular secand with a portion broken away to show a part which would be otherwise concealed;

FIGURE 4 is a view in perspective which shows the sections of the box open and the seat in position for use;

FIGURE 5 is a section taken approximately on the plane of the section line 5-5 of FIG. 3;

FIGURE 6 is a section on the vertical section line 66 of FIG. 5; and

FIGURE 7 is a View on enlarged scale taken on the plane of the section line 7-7 of FIG. 1.

The box is characterized by four significantly important components or parts. One part which is called a hollow base section is denoted by the numeral 8, the cover section being denoted at 10, the seat member or component by the numeral 12 and the leg frame or prop means by the numeral 14. The base section comprises a rigid flat bottom wall 16, generally triangular end walls 18 disposed in spaced apart parallel relation and an intervening vertical back wall 20. The upper marginal edges of the vertical walls are bent upon themselves to provide reinforced edges 22. The open side is here referred to article trays, the fixed trays being denoted at 26 and a tions which can be latched together when the box is matically posit-ions the leg frame or prop in its vertical seat supporting position.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective of a combination tackle box and folding seat structure constructed in accordance with the present invention and showing the box closed and ready to be carried or transported as the case may be;

FIGURE 2 is a view in side elevation based on FIG. 1 and showing how the bail-like handle is caught hold of and the two sections are hinged to open position with the built-in or enclosed seat and prop automatically assuming cooperatively usable relationship;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged top plan view with the sections in open position and with the seat ready for use slidable tray being denoted at 28 and removably and slidably mounted on angle iron tracks or rails 30. The cover section is also triangulate in general appearance and shape and comprises a wall 32, triangular complemental walls 34 and an intervening wall 36. These walls are fixedly joined together and a U-shaped handle or bail is provided at 38 with its arms straddling the walls 34 and pivotally joined thereto as at til. it will be noted in FIG. 5 that adjacent edges of the wall 16 are hingedly connected as denoted generally at 42. One hinge leaf 44 is fixed to an edge portion of the wall 16 and the other leaf 46 is fixed to the edge of the wall 32. With this construction and arrangement it will be evident that the two sections 8 and 10 constitute companion halfsections and are adapted to assume the edge-to-edge abutting relationship shown in FIG. 1 when the box is closed and ready for carrying or transporting as the case may be.

The seat means comprises a substantially rectangular plate or panel 48 having depending marginal flanges 50 and 52. One marginal edge portion is chamfered or beveled as at 52 where it is hingedly joined at 54 to a cooperating edge portion 56 of the aforementioned cover section 10 (see FIG. 5).

It will be particularly noted in FIGS. 1 to 5 that the plate or panel 48 is not only flat and square but is of a size that it is adapted to intimately cooperate with the hollow portions of the base and cover sections 8 and 10 when it is collapsed or stored as shown, for instance, in FIG. 7. When it is in erect ready-to-use position this is accomplished with the aid of the aforementioned leg frame or prop 14. More specifically this prop is of U- shaped construction and comprises a bight portion 58 and legs 60. The legs are of proper height and have their lower end portions hingedly mounted as at 62 on upstanding lugs which are provided on the hinge leaf or plate 46; that is, at the ends thereof. These lugs are denoted at 64 and are located to provide the coacting pivotal mounting of the leg frame or prop. When the prop is in a vertical position (as shown in FIG. 5) it provides, in conjunction with the hinge means 54, a stable support for the seat enabling the seat to be used in the manner which is believed to be evident upon observing FIG. 4.

It will be further noted that by providing hinge means between the two box sections 8 and 10, the means 42, and by hingedly joining a marginal edge portion of the panel or plate 48 as at 54 these several parts are capable of being folded together or collapsed in the manner shown in part in FIG. 2 and more fully in FIG. 7. The latter View also shows the unique construction and mode of use of the prop in that one leg is provided with a stay link or rod 66 which has a laterally directed end portion 68 joined to one leg of the frame. A median portion of the link or rod is slidable through an apertured ear 68 on a bracket 70 which is fixed on the interior of one end wall of the base section. The unattached end of the rod is laterally offset and formed into a sort of a crank 72 with which one end of a coil spring 74 is connected. The other end of the spring is anchored at 76 on an edge portion of the cooperating wall 18 of the base section. The spring is tensioned so that its purpose is to normally assist in automatically positioning the prop in its seat erecting position when the sections of the box are opened as shown in FIG. 2. It follows that catching hold of the bail or handle while holding the base section steady after having unfastened the latches 78 from the keeper buttons 80, the box can be opened. Simply pulling the cover section in the direction of the arrow A results in the opening of the sections 9 and 1.0 on the hinge means 42 and as the sections separate or part the spring loaded erecting prop 14 comes automatically into play and engages the hingedly mounted plate or panel 48 and swings it on its hinge means until it gradually or progressively assumes position shown first in FIG. 2 and then the final position shown in particular in FIGS. 4 and and particularly FIG. 4.

It is believed that a careful consideration of the specification in conjunction with the views of the drawing will enable the reader to obtain a clear and comprehensive understanding of the subject matter of the invention, the features and advantages, the manner of opening and closing the box and using the erected seat. Accordingly, a more extended description is thought to be unnecessary.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In combination, a hollow base section embodying a bottom wall adapted to assume a horizontal position when in use, vertical end and side walls and open at its top, said section providing a container and having facilities therein to assist in storing tackle, a cover section having a Wall which is horizontal and coplanar with the firstnamed bottom wall when in use and being hingedly connected thereto and further having end walls and a side wall and being open, the open side of said section being adapted to register when the sections are in abutting relationship, said cover section being provided with a pivotally mounted carrying and handling bail, means carried by certain of the walls to fasten the sections in closed relationship, a seat panel cooperable with one wall of the cover section and adapted to be folded within the confines thereof when not being used, and prop means foldably mounted on and within said cover section and cooperable with an edge portion of said seat.

2. The structure defined in claim 1, said seat panel being hingedly joined to an interior edge portion of the cooperating wall of said cover section, said seat panel being marginally provided with an encomprising flange, said prop comprising a leg frame, the legs thereof being hingedly joined to a cooperating wall of the cover section, the bight portion being cooperable with one flanged edge of said seat when the seat is in its horizontal usable position.

3. The structure defined in claim 2 and a stay link having one end pivotally connected to one leg of the prop, a bracket mounted on one wall of the base section, an end portion of said stay link being slidingly cooperable with a component part of said bracket.

4. The structure defined in claim 2 and a stay link having one end pivotally connected to one leg of the prop, a bracket mounted on one wall of the base section, an end portion of said stay link being slidingly cooperable with a component part of said bracket, the slidable end of said link having an offset crank portion and coil spring having one end attached to said crank portion and the other end anchored on a marginal edge portion of a cooperating wall of said base section.

5. A combination convertible tackle box construction comprising a hollow base section having a horizontal bottom wall, triangular end walls and an intervening vertical wall and defining a container, 21 substantially triangular cover section having a bottom wall coplanar with said first-named bottom wall, adjacent edges of said bottom walls being hingedly joined together and also having triangular end walls and an intervening vertical wall, a plate having a marginal edge portion hingedly joined to an interior portion of said last-named vertical wall, said plate constituting a seat and having a marginal depending flange, a substantially U-shaped leg frame, said leg frame constituting a prop and having lower end portions of its legs hingedly joined to the first-named hinge means and having a bight portion cooperable with a flanged edge portion of said plate, a bracket fixed on an interior of one triangular wall of the base section and having an apertured guide lug, a stay link having one end laterally bent and hingedly joined to one leg of said prop, having the other end formed with a crank and slidingly mounted in said aperture, and a coil spring having one end attached to said crank portion and another end anchored on a marginal edge portion of an adjacent triangular wall of the base section.

6. In combination, a hollow housing comprising two housing sections together including wall portions at least substantially enclosing the area within said housing, one section of said housing being pivotally supported from the other section of said housing defining the remainder of the latter for swinging movement relative thereto between a first position closing said housing and a second position opening said remainder of said housing for access thereinto, the other section of said housing including some of said wall portions with at least one of said some wall portions having lower surface portions adapted to rest upon and be supported from a generally planar surface, said one section of said housing also including some of said wall portions, at least one of the last mentioned wall portions, when said one section is in said second position, including lower surface portions adapted to rest upon and be supported from the same generally planar supporting surface, a first section of said sections including means defining a seat elevated above the corresponding lower surface portions when said second section of said housing is in said second position and the second section of said sections including article supporting compartments readily accessible by a person seated on said seat.

7. The combination of claim 6 wherein said means defining said seat is substantially entirely disposed within the confines of said first housing section when said one section is in said first position and is movably supported from said first section for projection at least partially outwardly of the confines of said first housing section in response to movement of said one section to said second position.

8. The combination of claim 7 wherein said one section comprises said first section.

9. The combination of claim 6 wherein said other section includes a wall portion thereof defining the bottom of said housing and comprising said one wall portion of said some wall portions first mentioned, said one section being pivotally secured to said other section for swinging movement relative thereto about an axis extending along one marginal edge portion of said bottom.

10. The combination of claim 9 wherein said housing is generally rectangular in side elevation as seen from one end of the last mentioned axis and divided to form said sections along a plane generally paralleling and extending from said one edge portion of said bottom to the diagonally opposite upper corner of said housing.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Campbell 312-291 Gerstner 312-235 X Reynolds 312-276 X Herrick 190-12 Culp 312-235 Murphy 297-194 10 CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION, A HOLLOW BASE SECTION EMBODYING A BOTTOM WALL ADAPTED TO ASSUME A HORIZONTAL POSITION WHEN IN USE, VERTICAL END AND SIDE WALLS OPEN AT ITS TOP, SAID SECTION PROVIDING A CONTAINER AND HAVING FACILITIES THEREIN TO ASSIST IN STORING TACKLE, A COVER SECTION HAVING A WALL WHICH IS HORIZONTAL AND COPLANAR WITH THE FIRSTNAMED BOTTOM WALL WHEN IN USE AND BEING HINGEDLY CONNECTED THERETO AND FURTHER HAVING END WALLS AND A SIDE WALL AND BEING OPEN, THE OPEN SIDE OF SAID SECTION BEING ADAPTED TO REGISTER WHEN THE SECTIONS ARE IN ABUTTING RELATIONSHIP, SAID COVER SECTION BEING PROVIDED WITH A PIVOTALLY 